Friday, October 21, 2016

Great, complex characters, and tension-driving story
elements, make author Donna K. Weaver’s “Torn Canvas” a sweeping novel readers
can get lost in.

Olivia Howard, a media celebrity, overcame a challenging past
to get where she is, and she now wants to use her platform to present stories
with substance. But what have her producers assigned her? A fluff piece about up
and coming models—frivolous lightweights. Especially the blonde, Finnish-born
Juri Virtanen, a Viking-handsome adonis with a reputation for using his cover
model looks to lure women. Lots of women.

But after studying Juri’s headshot, Olivia senses a
vulnerability in his eyes, a theory that is strengthened when she gets a tip that
Juri risked his own life to pull a mother and child from a car in the path of an
oncoming train. Juri becomes the story she most wants to tell.

Juri’s self-loathing has its roots in his dark past, leaving
him a calloused rogue unable to build relationships. His conscience gets stirred
when a group of cruise ship friends, real people, adopt him into their loving circle.
When the group goes off on an excursion, pirates take over their catamaran, kidnapping
some, and killing others. In the ensuing battle to overpower one of the captors,
Juri’s face, the source of his career and infamy, is badly damaged.

The catastrophic experience tears lives apart, cements friendships,
and places an interview with Juri at the top of Olivia Howard’s must-do list. The
support his new friends offer him rips a crack in Juri’s cold heart, allowing personal
healing and growth to occur at time when his professional life is in tatters.

“Torn Canvas” explores what matters. It’s a great story of
the power of friendship, and how kindness and love can give a person the
courage to rebuild a life from the tatters of the past.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Marlene Bateman is a busy, talented author of both fiction and inspirational non-fiction. She always delivers something special, and I think readers are going to find that her track record of successes continues with "For Sale By Owner."

AND . . . Marlene's publisher is allowing us to give a copy away to one of our guests today. So, leave a comment below about the book, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win either an ecopy, or a paperback if you live in the U.S. The winning name will be drawn after midnight tonight! Now, on to the book.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Stressed by a year of intense, ongoing
problems, McKenzie Forsberg decides to quit her high-powered job and move back
to her hometown. Determined to rebuild her life, Kenzie desperately needs the
peace and security she is sure will come from buying the home she grew up in.
But when she arrives in town, Kenzie discovers that a handsome widower, Jared
Rawlins, has already put an offer on the house.
However, he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by
Christmas Eve.

When Kenzie unexpectedly runs into a couple who
are considering buying Jared’s house, she unthinkingly gives them information
that changes their mind. Jared, who had been more than a little interested in
Kenzie, has second thoughts when he begins to believe Kenzie may have deliberately
tried to sabotage the sale of his home. Feeling bad, Kenzie apologizes but the
damage may be too much for their relationship to overcome.

Despite his misgivings, and Kenzie’s own
concerns, sparks of attraction between Jared and Kenzie grow into something
more. Then, Kenzie makes a stunning discovery about her past. In that moment,
everything changes. Will the power of love be enough to bring Jared and Kenzie
together and allow them to find their happily ever after?

Excerpt

“What made you decide
to move to Lake Forest?” Kenzie asked.

“I’ve always loved it
here,” Jared said. “It’s a beautiful area, and there’s a special atmosphere
here. People are so friendly. I guess part of the reason I came is because I
needed to go someplace new and kind of start over, you know?”

Kenzie
did know. That was exactly what she was doing now. She’d gotten over Larry, but
she needed to go someplace new and reinvent herself and her life.

“A
lot of reasons. I need a fresh start too. I’m tired of the hectic pace in
Chicago.” Impulsively she added, “Also, I had to get away from my job at
Midwest. A guy was causing some real problems for me—” She stopped. Their eyes
met and lingered. Jared’s compassion was evident and the expression on his face
kind. She felt so comfortable talking with him—as if they were kindred spirits.
Something in her heart softened into a spreading pool, and she smiled at him.

Tearing open his
packet of Oreo cookies., Jared took one and dunked it in his hot chocolate.

Kenzie frowned.
“Figures. You’re a dunker.”

“And I bet you’re a
twister.”

Snatching up a cookie,
Kenzie twisted it open and took a bite of the creamy middle. “Ummm.”

Jared shuddered.
“That’s wrong in so many ways.”

Picking up her mug and
warming her fingers, Kenzie sipped her hot chocolate. “This is wonderful!”

“It’s a secret
recipe—been in my family for generations.”

“Really?”

“No,
but it sounds good, doesn’t it?”

You can get "For Sale By Owner" here:

For Sale by Owner is available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book and can also be purchased online at:

Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Sandy, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly R. Sullivan and they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four cats. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote the best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light on Fire Island. She has written three other mysteries; Motive for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House.

Marlene has also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys,Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

I'm pleased to host one of RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB's Author Spotlights. My guest is paranormal author A.M. Manay, whose most recent release is She Lights Up the Dark, book two in her well-received November Snow series.

A.M. prepared today's post, so without further adieu, I'll pass the pen to A.M. Manay!

......

"Long Live the King"

by A.M. Manay

Below is an online news interview with Luka Lazarri, vampire
king and the primary villain in my November Snow Series. The piece is set at the beginning of She
Lights Up the Dark (November Snow Book 2). Spoiler
alert! At the start of the second
book in the series, he has just taken over the fairy and vampire kingdom once
ruled by his father, Ilyn. Be advised
that Luka plays fast and loose with the facts here as he attempts to spin
events to his own advantage.

***

Maria Carson for the
Kingdom News Service: Your grace, thank you so much for taking the time to
speak with us during this busy transition.

Luka: Of course,
Maria. A king must always make time to
speak to his people, especially during difficult moments. I know many of us are in deep mourning after
the slaughter so recently perpetuated by my father, Ilyn. Our dead and injured in Las Vegas and in
Arizona cry out for justice. I want to
assure you that I stand with you, and that every measure is being taken to
address the threat posed by the former king and his supporters. We are working simultaneously to bring
stability and order to the Kingdom after so many decades of Ilyn's, shall we
say . . . haphazard rule.

MC: I understand
that state leaders have now all pledged fealty.
Is that correct?

Luka: Indeed,
Maria, I have the full support of local vampire and fairy leadership, thought
there are still small pockets of unrest in isolated areas. They will soon be quelled.

MC: Is it true,
your grace, that Lady Savita and her son Gregory, former Lord of California
William Knox, and former Premier Hazel participated in the wanton murder of
their fellow fairies and vampires in Arizona, as ordered by Ilyn?

Luka: Sadly, it
is true, though the guilt must be borne primarily by Ilyn and William. They, alas, took advantage of the loyalty and
trust of their subordinates. If Savita,
Gregory, and Hazel wish to pledge loyalty to the new regime and to repudiate my
father and brother, I am prepared to offer them pardons in light of their many years
of service to my mother, Marisha, the last legitimate ruler of the Kingdom. I urge all our citizens to keep vigilant and
to report any sightings of these former leaders who have so betrayed their
duty. Ilyn and William have shown that
they pose a grave danger to all of our citizens. Anyone assisting them will share their fate.

MC: Your grace,
there have been many rumors about the so-called "Oracle," November
Snow. What can you tell us about
her? Are her precognitive gifts
confirmed? Is she also a fugitive from
justice?

Luka: Ah, dear
November. She is yet another innocent victim
of my father's dangerous temper and lust for power. I am pleased to say that she is now a
vampire, and I have rescued her from Ilyn's grasp. Her gifts are indeed remarkable, and she will
soon be joining my court as an advisor.
I am keeping her temporarily out of the public eye in order to give her
time to adjust to her new life as a vampire.
As you know, those early days can be . . . challenging, and I wish to
spare her the additional burden of public scrutiny as she finds her way. Rest assured, she is now one of us, and my
most trusted allies are taking very good care of her.

MC: Is there
anything else you'd like to share with our viewers, your grace?

Luka: I would
encourage our dear citizens to focus on rebuilding and preparing for the next
phase of our Kingdom's history. It is
our destiny to take the reins of power from the human government, and our
moment of triumph is nearly at hand. We
have already achieved a revolution.
Revelation and rule will soon follow.

***

So, what do you think of Luka's attempt at spinning the
events at the end of She Dies at the Endand at the beginning of She
Lights Up the Dark? And who
should play him in the movie once I get discovered? ;-)

Brief
description ofShe Lights Up the Dark

A frightening vision stalks November, even in her grave . . .
and things go severely sideways just as soon as she claws her way out of it.

Continuing the story begun in the well-received
paranormal romp "She Dies at the End," "She Lights Up the Dark" finds November Snow
struggling to adjust to her new life as a vampire with none of the support
she'd expected. Her nemesis Luka has plotted to isolate November and scatter
her allies as he executes his plan to bring human society under his control.
Her loneliness leads her to become emotionally entangled with a charming but
likely untrustworthy fellow vampire.

When danger flares, November discovers that her
psychic gift has expanded in a powerful and perilous fashion. Coerced into
close company with her enemy, she fights to master her power and to uncover the
secrets that may help her to save both her friends and the human world from
being crushed under Luka’s boot. November is determined to stop Luka as his
plan builds toward an unknown and deadly climax, but she may find that lighting
up the dark comes with a high price to pay.

This books contains violence, some sexual
content, and occasional profanity.

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“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.”-Woodrow Wilson